WASHINGTON, D.C., May 15, 2008 – The Rubber Manufacturers Association has signed a letter of understanding with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Mexican Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources to implement a bilateral scrap tire management initiative.

The letter was signed during the recent Border 2012 meeting which occurred during the International Tire Conference in San Diego. The conference was hosted by the California Integrated Waste Management Board in cooperation with RMA. RMA is the only non-government entity that has signed a letter of understanding.

The U.S.–Mexico Border Scrap Tire Integrated Management Initiative, referred to as the Tire Initiative, was signed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Mexican Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) in October 2006 as a result of commitments made by the United States and Mexico during the 2004 Binational Commission meeting to develop an environmentally sustainable scrap tire management framework.

“Since 2000, RMA has been dedicated to the border region by being a leading source of information, building infrastructure and developing tire markets along the border,” RMA said in a letter to EPA and SEMARNAT. “We understand that the U.S.-Mexico Border Scrap Tire Integrated Management Initiative provides concrete actions that when employed have great potential to contribute significantly to the prevention of future border scrap tire piles.”

The goals of the Tire Initiative are to clean up old tire stockpiles, prevent the creation of new stockpiles, better understand the problems of scrap tire generation and involve stakeholders and communities in developing solutions.

“RMA has had a long commitment toward working with all stakeholders and both the U.S. and Mexican governments to achieve workable solutions to scrap tire management issues along the border of our nations,” said Michael Blumenthal, RMA vice president, resource recovery. “We appreciate the opportunity to work together to clean up border communities and prevent the creation of additional scrap tire stockpiles.”

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The Rubber Manufacturers Association is the national trade association for the rubber products industry. Its members include companies that manufacture various rubber products, including tires, hoses, belts, seals, molded goods, and other finished rubber products. RMA members employ over 120,000 workers and account for more than $21 billion in annual sales.